Indian Players Shine in Esports World Cup Chess Quarterfinals

The Esports World Cup 2026 saw Indian chess players Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin reach the quarterfinals, both finishing in the top eight. Arjun lost to Hikaru Nakamura in a tense armageddon tiebreaker, while Nihal was defeated by defending champion Magnus Carlsen. Each player earned $75,000 for their efforts, contributing to India's largest chess contingent at the event. The playoffs continue with exciting matchups ahead, including a rematch between Magnus and Alireza Firouzja.

By Narendra Chaudhary Aug 14, 2026, 23:30 IST

India's Journey in the Esports World Cup Chess Tournament

In Paris, France, India's participation in the Chess segment of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 concluded in the quarterfinals. Both Arjun Erigaisi from Gen.G Esports and Nihal Sarin from S8UL Esports secured spots among the top eight competitors of the tournament.

Arjun faced a tough match against Hikaru Nakamura from Team Falcons, ultimately losing in an armageddon tiebreaker. Meanwhile, defending champion Magnus Carlsen of Team Liquid triumphed over Nihal with a score of 2.5-0.5, as reported by S8UL.

The quarterfinal clash between Arjun and Hikaru mirrored last year's third-place match, which Hikaru had previously won. The regulation games were tightly contested, resulting in four draws, leading to an Armageddon tiebreaker where Hikaru, playing as White, secured victory with a checkmate.

Nihal's quarterfinal match against Magnus was a rematch of their previous knockout encounter, which Magnus had also won. This time, Magnus won the first two games, and although the third ended in a draw, he achieved a 2.5-0.5 victory, advancing to the semifinals.

In other quarterfinal matches, Denis Lazavik from AG.AL defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Natus Vincere in an Armageddon tiebreaker, while Alireza Firouzja from Team Falcons overcame Hans Moke Niemann from GodLike Esports with a score of 2.5-1.5. Hikaru will now compete against Lazavik in the semifinals, while Magnus will face Alireza in a rematch of last year's final.

Both Arjun and Nihal's impressive performances earned them $75,000 (approximately INR 71.5 lakh) each. This year, India sent its largest Chess delegation to the EWC. Additionally, S8UL Esports' Pranesh M, who was eliminated earlier, earned $55,000 (around INR 52.5 lakh), while teammate Aravindh Chithambaram, who exited in the Play-Ins, took home $23,000 (about INR 21.9 lakh) from the total prize pool of $1.5 million (approximately INR 14.3 crore).

The playoffs are set to continue in a single-elimination format, with the semifinals featuring six games. The grand final will be played in a best-of-three-sets format, with the first two sets comprising four games each, and a potential third set consisting of two games.